Citing a need for sustainability, troubled airline Ravn Alaska said Tuesday it will suspend its service to Unalaska, Cold Bay and Sand Point in Western Alaska, starting on Aug. 16.

The decision leaves just six communities as scheduled destinations for Ravn. It follows major cutbacks and changes at the regional carrier over the last year.

Representatives with Ravn, including new chief executive Tom Hsieh, could not immediately be reached for an interview Tuesday.

The latest move will allow Ravn Alaska to focus on other destinations in Alaska, the company said in an online statement addressing “frequently asked questions.”

“This change comes as part of a broader initiative to optimize operations and ensure long-term sustainability and growth for the airline,” Ravn Alaska said in the statement. “By reallocating resources and capacity, Ravn Alaska/New Pacific Airlines aims to enhance service reliability and customer satisfaction across its core network.”

“This was not an easy decision, but it is a necessary step in our long-term strategy to strengthen the overall success of our airline and this shift allows us to concentrate on routes where we can make the most significant impact,” the statement said.

The elimination of the three communities leaves Anchorage, Homer, Valdez, St. Paul Island, Unalakleet, and St. Mary’s as Ravn’s scheduled destinations, according to the company’s website.

Another regional carrier, Aleutian Airways, flies to Unalaska, Cold Bay and Sand Point, among other Alaska destinations.

Officials in Unalaska, a city of 4,200 and a major U.S. commercial fishing port, could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday.

Ravn laid off 130 employees early this year, a big cut to its workforce of more than 400 at the time. Last fall, Ravn also halted flights to the communities of Kenai and Aniak.

More recently, it replaced its chief executive and lost a mileage-redemption agreement with Alaska Airlines.

Ravn refunds for affected tickets to Unalaska, Cold Bay and Sand Point will be processed automatically, within 14 business days of the end of service to the communities, the company said in the statement.

“There is no need for passengers to take any action to receive their refunds,” the statement said.

“We understand how disruptive and inconvenient this situation is and deeply regret the impact it has had on your travel plans, as well as the communities we’ve served,” Ravn said in an email to passengers.

The airline has had a rocky history.

Ravn Alaska’s predecessor, RavnAir Group, filed for bankruptcy in June 2020, amid high debts and a sharp drop in passenger traffic during the pandemic.

Ravn Alaska launched in late 2020, after new ownership including McKinney acquired part of RavnAir Group’s assets in a $9.5 million bankruptcy sale.

A new company affiliated with Ravn Alaska, meanwhile, has launched an ambitious bid to create an international airline.

New Pacific Airlines, formerly called Northern Pacific Airways, is listed as the parent company of Ravn in Alaska business records.

New Pacific has plans to provide passenger flights to Asia and the Lower 48 with Anchorage stops, using Boeing 757 jets. The company had planned to begin flying to scheduled destinations such as Tokyo and Seoul in 2022.

But it is currently providing only charter flights, according to its website.

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Alaska Airlines flight attendants feared passengers had been sucked out of the plane in the chaos following the Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet, according to harrowing testimony released by safety experts on Tuesday.

The comments gathered from interviews with attendants – who were not named – were among thousands of pages of evidence made public ahead of a two-day hearing that began earlier on Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board about the incident.

They provide dramatic accounts of the cabin crew’s efforts to help passengers and communicate with pilots when the panel blew off the jet at 16,000 feet after taking off from Portland, Oregon.

“I said there is a hole in the plane, in the back of the plane and I’m sure we’ve lost passengers,” said one flight attendant with about 20 years of experience, after spotting the hole in the plane and five empty seats.

The attendant was worried about an unaccompanied child toward the plane’s rear. “All I could think of was that he was sitting there and he was too small to reach the mask and was probably really scared.”

The NTSB is reviewing 737 manufacturing and inspections and oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration with a goal of making recommendations to prevent a repeat in the future. The incident has morphed into a full-blown financial and reputational crisis for manufacturer Boeing.

Flight attendants who were not authorized to speak publicly immediately after the accident described a loud bang, whooshing air and for one, tangled oxygen masks.

“I think I was able to (blurt) out, ‘I think we have a hole and we might’ve lost passengers.’ And then it seemed like I just lost contact, I tried calling back, tried speaking loudly into the phone, I couldn’t hear anything,” said a second flight attendant, with almost a decade of experience.

“Probably the scariest thing was I didn’t have exact communication with my flight deck and at first I didn’t know if the decompression was in the front, if we have pilots, and not being able to fully communicate with the back,” the flight attendant said.

The flight attendants both described damage to the plane and injured passengers, including one teen without a shirt on who had a red face and neck. One chair was completely stripped of the leather cover, fabric stuffing, upholstery and head rest tray table with the force of the decompression.

The second flight attendant said eventually pilots informed them that they were going to land, “so I knew that we were going to be okay.”

A family of four from Texas remains missing after their boat capsized during their vacation in Alaska.

On Saturday, Aug. 3, David Maynard, 42, and his wife Mary, 37, from Troy, and their two sons, 11-year-old Colton and 7-year-old Brantley, were sailing near the city of Homer on a 28-foot aluminum boat when it started to take on water at around 7 p.m. local time, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Travis Magee said, per the Anchorage Daily News.

The family had been out with four other people at the time, a spokesperson said on Sunday, Aug. 4, per the outlet. All of these were rescued uninjured from a life raft, the report added.

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Coast Alaska didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE.

Per the Associated Press, the search for the family was suspended on Sunday evening, and Magee told the outlet he didn’t have additional information on the four rescued passengers. 

The U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson also said he didn’t have further details on the boat or what caused the vessel to sink, the AP reported.

The Anchorage Daily News cited authorities as stating that waves had been around 2 feet tall and winds were less than 5 knots (6 mph) when the boat capsized. The area the Coast Guard has been searching is approximately 16 miles west of the Homer Spit, the publication added.

Per KCEN-TV, the water at the time was around 51 degrees Fahrenheit.

Christi Wells provided a statement on behalf of Mary Maynard’s parents, which revealed that Mary is a traveling nurse, while David has a lawn care business, the Anchorage Daily News stated. They were reportedly visiting family and friends in Alaska.

Wells said that the couple’s sons Colton and Brantley both like to play soccer and baseball.

The Coast Guard’s public affairs specialist Shannon Kearney told KCEN-TV, “Any time we make a decision to suspend a search and rescue case is a very difficult one to make.”

“Cases that are suspended, they’re only suspended pending the development of new information,” Kearney continued. “If anything comes to light, any new information that we get, we’re more than happy and willing to go out and continue our search.”

“Our hearts are definitely with the families right now as they grieve,” Kearney said. 

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A GoFundMe page set up to help the family with unexpected expenses has so far reached around $9,500.

“By now, a lot of us have heard about the tragic news. For those who don’t know, this sweet family of four was lost at sea on their vacation to Alaska,” a description stated on the page. “Mary’s parents are still there hoping to bring them home. This family is going through a lot right now.”

“The Maynards left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided, It is indescribable the void that will be left behind but I know if we come together as a family and a community they would know how much they meant to everyone,” it added.

“This was approved by a member of the family,” the message confirmed.